Field Marshal Gebhard von Blücher
Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher was seventy-two at Waterloo and arrived in the afternoon, which decided it. Born in 1742 in Rostock, he began his career in the Swedish army, was captured by Prussian hussars at sixteen and joined them. Frederick the Great passed him over for promotion, and he resigned in 1773 with a letter so insolent that the king wrote back that he could go to the devil. He farmed for fifteen years and was readmitted only after Frederick died. He was called Marschall Vorwärts — Marshal Forwards — by his troops, and the name describes his entire method. He was beaten by Napoleon repeatedly and was never much of a strategist; his gift was that defeat did not affect him. After the catastrophe of Jena in 1806 he fought on until forced to surrender at Lübeck, and insisted the capitulation record that he had run out of ammunition and bread. In 1813 he commanded the Army of Silesia, won at the Katzbach, and pressed the advance to Leipzig against allied caution. He was beaten at Ligny on 16 June 1815, ridden over by cavalry and pinned under his dead horse for hours. His chief of staff Gneisenau wanted to retreat east towards supply. Blücher overruled him, had himself rubbed with schnapps and garlic, and marched the army west to Wellington instead, on a promise he had given. The Prussian corps struck Napoleon's right at about half past four. Wellington said afterwards that the arrival had been the thing. Blücher wanted to call the battle La Belle Alliance and was overruled.
- Lived: 1742 CE – 1819 CE
- Nationality: Prussian
- Roles: field_marshal, general
